Make Runes Free

As they stand, runes aren't a fun part of the game. The idea behind them to allow customization to your champs/play style is great, but the execution is seriously flawed.

(this is a long post so skip past the numbered points if you just want to see my idea for how to implement free runes)

1. The cost of buying runes is astronomical. One rune page with quints = around 2000 ip each and marks/glyphs/seals equaling 400 ip each is equal to 16800 ip. Theoretically you need one page for each of the champion roles (tank, support, adc) and then another set of these so you have one for AP champs and one for AD. Assuming none of these rune pages share runes between them (which is unlikely, but let's just assume), the cost for the runes is alone is 201600 ip. Averaging 100 ip per game, it would take 20160 to earn enough for runes just so you can cover all of your bases for playing the game. Obviously this is an exaggeration, but the point is runes cost a LOT.

2. Runes aren't fun to obtain, and don't serve their purpose. I think being able to customize and use a system to suit my gameplay is great. But with the cost and time it takes to acquire runes, it stops being fun. "Yay I can afford 3 quints and a mark instead of Azir!" Probably not a sentence anyone has ever said or heard. It's a chore to acquire runes, and with the diversity of champions, you end up opting for "standard" runes for a variety of champions instead of being able to cater to a champion's strengths or the way you play them - defeating the customization purpose of runes. And since runes aren't HUGE bonuses individually (which I assume people buy them a few at a time like I do so as to simply have them), obtaining them doesn't feel like you've accomplished anything really.

3. Runes don't contribute to Riot's revenue. They can only be bought with ip, and if they contribute they do so indirectly, by being a necessity so players spend RP to buy champs or ip boosts. However, I'd bet that the dauntingness of runes and the unfair advantage they give (which I'll talk about next) demotivates new players to play and continue playing. And Riot can't gain revenue from players if they quit instead of buying skins.

4. One of league's core values is counterplay. How can new players who haven't earned enough ip to buy Runes compete with experienced players who have had time to build up their rune pages? Sure MMR is supposed to match new players with new, but I have like 40 wins and I've been matched with players with like 600+. There's also a huge leap from level 19 to 20 as at 20 players are allowed to buy 3rd tier runes. I didn't buy any runes until level 20 because what's the point of buying tier 2 when they aren't the best of a necessity to the game and the cost of getting them and rune combining is worse. Sure the cost is being amended now - but the rune combiner is leaving. It doesn't fix the issue of the runes actually needed being horribly expensive. And as for counterplay, runes provide small bonuses but are EXTREMELY noticeable. There's no counterplay to someone having an unfair advantage regardless of what champion you pick or your team comp or how your team plays. it's free stats.

5. Why should runes cost ip? To force people to use their ip on some other stat so they're stuck with champions and have to learn them? The amount champions cost is enough to do that, and with only three refunds it isn't like you can change your mind constantly about playing which champs you have. Using runes to deter people from getting a bunch of champions with ip is silly since there are other factors that do that and it's an anti-fun system. Also, league is intended to be a free to play game, and runes are intended to be unpurchasable with money - so why should they cost anything?

Here's what I suggest. Take runes out of the store, and make them something you can't pay for. Instead, you'd simply click on the blank space of a glyph and it'd pull up a menu of all available glyphs. You could choose how many you wanted of that glyph type and it'd autofill with that amount (let's say 6 flat AP glyphs). I could then click on one of the 3 remaining empty glyphs and the same menu would come up, allowing me to put up to three of another glyph type etc. Additionally, on the left side where the current storage for runes you've bought is would be buttons to clear each type of rune from your rune page. I feel implementing this wouldn't be too hard but what do I know about tech/coding. So long as the update wouldn't clear preset rune pages, I can't see anyone being unhappy. I'd also suggest reimbursing people for the cost of their runes, preferably in full but at least in part.

As I said before tiers of runes are stupid. But if they're free they become inherently better, as they slowly gradate power so there isn't an unfair spike. I'd suggest either gain access to tier 1 at level 10, gain access to tier 2 at level 20 and gain access to tier 3 at level 30, or gain access to tier 1 at 15 wins, access to tier 2 at 30 wins and access to tier 3 at 45 wins. It isn't a perfect system, but I think trickling runes in is the best way to hopefully avoid huge power differences. Runes should also come with a tutorial when you first gain access to them

If Riot feels the need to bump up the cost of rune pages by making runes free, that's fine. It feels much better to save up 7800 or spend 1350 RP on a full, customizable, and completed rune page than 16800 on runes that work for one subset of champions.

Thank you for reading if you've made it this far. I really hope to see something like this implemented as I play this game for fun and not to grind for weeks to fill an indirect boost to my gameplay.